yāo = y + ao1
to weigh in a balance or on a scale
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yuē = yu + e1
to make an appointment / to invite / approximately / pact / treaty / to economize / to restrict / to reduce (a fraction) / concise
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How to pronounce 约

MandarinBanana teaches pronunciation with the Marilyn Method: every Pinyin syllable is one initial plus one final, the initial becomes a person, an animal or a deity, and the final becomes a place in your memory palace — with the tone deciding which part of that place the scene happens in. Remember the little story below for each half and the whole syllable comes back with them.

= y initial

Y is for Maud Younger.

By Matthias • updated 2 months ago
+ ao1 final

In front of the aorta.

By Matthias • updated 5 months ago
= yu initial

Yu is for Yu the Great who tamed the floods.

By Matthias • updated 5 months ago
+ e1 final

In front of the elevator.

By Matthias • updated 2 months ago

约 character breakdown

Chinese characters are built out of smaller characters. Each component carries a mnemonic symbol - one concrete object that stands in for it - and a mnemonic story hands those objects to the person and the place that stand for the pronunciation. Learn a component once and every character that reuses it gets easier.

Component Translations
sháo = sh + ao2
spoon / ladle / CL:把[ba3] / abbr. for 公勺[gong1 shao2], centiliter (unit of volume)
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= s + Ø1
"silk" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 120), occurring in 紅|红[hong2], 綠|绿[lü4], 累[lei4] etc / also pr. [mi4]
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Characters with 约 as component

yào = y + ao4
medicine / drug / substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenting) / CL:種|种[zhong3],服[fu4],味[wei4] / to poison
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yào = y + ao4
leaf of the iris / variant of 藥|药[yao4]
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Oh! (interjection indicating slight surprise)
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Words with 约

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appointment / engagement / date / CL:次[ci4],個|个[ge4] / to arrange to meet
John (name) / Johan (name) / Johann (name)

Sentences with 约

约 currently does not appear in any sentence.

Want to remember 约 for good?

Make it your learning target and MandarinBanana works out the shortest route to it: the two sounds its syllable is built from, then the components of the character itself, one short step at a time. No account needed to start.

yāo / yuē

2 translations

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